Dries Mertens turns down lucrative move to China

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – NOVEMBER 13 : Dries Mertens forward of Belgium celebrates scoring a goal during the World Cup Qualifier Group H match between Belgium and Estonia at the King Baudouin Stadium on November 13, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium, 13/11/2016 ( Photo by Nico Vereecken / Photonews
via Getty Images)

Napoli star Dries Mertens has revealed that he turned down a lucrative move to the Chinese Super League.

The 29-year-old Belgian international forward, who has scored 16 times in Italian Serie A this season, says he was offered a contract that would have ‘made his grandchildren rich’.

“I thought about it for a day but I refused,” he told Nieuwsblad.

“I can assure you one thing – it was really hard to say ‘no’ to such a figure because it guarantees wealth for your children and even grandchildren.

“Am I curious about what’s happening to [Axel] Witsel? Yes, we’ve sought information about it, and together with my wife, we’ve weighed up the pros and cons from testimonies of people who have been there.

“Sometimes you hear players talking about their life choices as a search for a new experience. It’s not true, they’re driven by money.”